Blu-ray ‘Gladiator’ enters foreign arena

International rollout to start Sept. 7

LONDON — Universal Pictures Intl. Ent. is to roll out the Blu-ray edition of “Gladiator” in international territories from Sept. 7, kicking off with the U.K. The distrib hopes the release will further popularize the format with mainstream audiences.

The two high-definition discs will include 11 hours of extra content.

The first disc will include both the theatrical and extended versions of the film, audio commentary, deleted scenes and the “Vision of Elysium: Topic Portal.” This last item pilots a new feature called U-Control, which allows viewers to tag moments of interest throughout the film and create a shopping list of topics to learn about in the supplements on the other disc.

The second disc also includes “Strength and Honor: Creating the World of ‘Gladiator,'” a documentary on the origins and impact of the film.

Eddie Cunningham, prexy of Universal Pictures Intl. Ent., said, “‘Gladiator’ is an important title in Universal’s Blu-ray strategy as it will resonate with a large cross section of mainstream consumers, giving us an ideal opportunity to showcase the incredible capabilities of the Blu-ray format as we move into our busiest trading period of the year.”

Paramount Home Ent. releases the pic on Blu-ray disc in North America on Sept. 1.